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Shelter space comes up short for homeless

No place - or money - for a bed

AUGUSTA - Awakening to boots filled with water after a rainstorm, James Goodwin decided five days in the woods was enough.

The Jackson man walked seven hours to Augusta to find a homeless shelter.

Goodwin is fortunate. Most Augusta shelters are geared to serve single men like him. For women, especially women without children, a safe, warm place to sleep can be hard to find.

Rebecca Wallace, the development director of The Salvation Army in Augusta, said it has a small space available for women with children.

"Historically people have thought of single men as being homeless, and that's kind of what we initially based all of our programs on," she said. "Over time, in the past 10 years, we've seen a larger and larger number of women and children that are becoming homeless."

A lack of space and funding keeps the organization from serving more women and children, she said.

The facility can house 38 women with children, but typically keeps about 12 women and children on a waiting list. The list has grown to about 20 people during the cold weather, Wallace said.

Bed space is available for 48 men, she said. Blankets are kept for those the shelter can't accommodate.

"We do have a high number of homeless," Wallace said.

Mental health and drug abuse are the top underlying factors in becoming homeless. Augusta's Hope House was founded in 2001 to help women and their children through such difficulties.

Hope House is moving from Wrightsboro Road to Highland Avenue, where the Highlands West can house 42 families - homeless, addicted and mentally troubled women and their children, all of whom will get mental health treatment.

A moderate climate and its proximity to another state with fewer services, among other factors, make Augusta attractive to the homeless, Wallace said.

Manufacturing and day-labor jobs are another draw. The Salvation Army and the Garden City Rescue Mission both reserve some beds for working homeless. When The Salvation Army fills up, it tries to send homeless to another nearby shelter, Wallace said.